Time
by beautifulpreservation
Summary: Things change and time passes, especially for the Rogers. Sequel to Safe.
1. 20 Weeks

"Hey, Rhiannon," Bucky's voice from the doorway captures my attention. I look up from the computer towards him, a grim look on his face. "Steve and T'Challa are back…they found it." I nod my head as I push myself back from the desk and slid my shoes back on. They were a little snug, but that wasn't anything new. I was twenty weeks pregnant and everything was swelling and tight on me. The doctors (I had whole team of them, at Steve's request, monitoring my progress) told me that normally at this stage women would have gained about ten pounds…yet with super baby (yes, I called them super baby sometimes) I had gained about twenty. Luckily, everything else seemed normal and I was feeling fine, so I had actually only met with the doctors once so far. Bucky just smiles at me kindly as I walk slowly over to him. "So, what food are we this week?" he asks as we start down the hall.

"This week we are banana baby," I tell him, earning a chuckle. It may have been weird, but I monitored the growth of the baby by comparing them to food. This week, they were roughly the length of a banana. "Yet, the thought of eating a banana just makes me sick."

"Steve'll have to tell the kitchen not to send any up with breakfast. We wouldn't want a replay of the orange incident." I lightly push on Bucky's shoulder, muttering for him to shut up. Bucky not going back under was one of the best decisions he could have made. Between his daily therapy sessions, talking with Steve, training with T'Challa's men, Bucky was making amazing strides towards recovery. Plus, he was _really_ looking forward to this baby coming.

"No, I think that poor kitchen aide is going to be scarred for life." I say with a grimace. "I still apologize to her every time I see her."

Bucky just shakes his head and laughs. "So, am I getting a niece or a nephew?"

I roll my eyes as my hand subconsciously comes up and starts rubbing at my stomach. "You are going to get what you get and you are going to love them regardless." I was vehemently against finding out the gender of SuperBaby/BananaBaby. It annoyed some people to no end, but it isn't their decision. "We have another appointment today, after he gets back. The 'big ultrasound' as they call it."

"What if you guys just tell me?" Bucky says as we near T'Challa's office. "You can tell me and then I'll keep it secret from you guys—"

"Time to calm down Uncle Buck," I say as we enter the office. Steve looks from me to Bucky, automatically guessing what we were talking about. "Getting a little excited over Banana Baby."

T'Challa and Steve both shake their heads and laugh. "How are we feeling today?" T'Challa asks me.

"Oh," I say with a sigh. I lower myself down into a chair near his desk where him and Steve were both standing. "Like I ate one too many tacos…but other than that just anxious to see what you guys found."

Steve knew I'd want to get right down to business. "The file was where Buck said it would be." He picks up a thick looking file off the glass and metal desk. "Luckily, we got to it before anyone else could."

I nod my head. "I don't think Tony or anyone would think to go look for it." I let out another sigh before standing up and holding out my hand. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's see it." Steve stares at me for a moment before handing over the file. I take it and move to sit at a conference table on the other side of the room. Lifting the cover of the file, I'm greeted with a photo of my adopted dad, Daniel. This was the file HYDRA had on him…why they had the Winter Soldier kill him. I thumb through it, silently, reading and absorbing every single line and detail. Steve, Bucky, and T'Challa wait silently, pacing behind me or sitting at the table with me. None of them reach for any of the file, letting me read everything first. After about an hour, I finally shut the file and lean back in the chair, shutting my eyes. Bucky is the first to speak up.

"What did it say?" he asks, his voice strained.

I open my eyes again and meet his across the table. "They wanted Daniel dead because he was starting to catch onto HYDRA." I say. "He had suspected something was going on with S.H.I.E.L.D…never really trusted them."

"Did it say anything about why they let you live?" Steve asks.

I nod my head. "Um, the file says that 'after much debate, Rhiannon Saggart will be allowed to live, given her exceptional talents.'" I recite. "They hoped to eventually recruit me. My two friends who worked in my office…Alex and Tim…they were placed there to recruit me."

Steve's hand comes down on my shoulders, his thumb rubbing soothing circles into my neck. "Are you okay?" He says, his voice low.

"I'll be fine," I tell him, one of my hands reaching up to lay on his. I look across the table at Bucky, who was staring at the file as if he could rewrite everything in it. "Nothing has changed Bucky…" I say to him as he looks up at me. "Nothing in here has changed my feelings towards you." Bucky just nods his head, looking down again. The room is filled with silence again for a moment until I slide the file across the table to Steve. "Do what you want with it."

"Rhi-"

"Come on," I cut him off as I stand up. "We need to get to the appointment."

Steve lets out a sigh as he stands up too. I don't know what he does with the file, but when he joins me at the door it's not in his hand. He pushes the door open for me before I walk out without saying a goodbye or thank you to anyone in the room.

* * *

"Heartrate is a little elevated…everything okay?" Dr. Okafor asks as she squirts the cold gel on my stomach. I nod my head, even though I knew she wouldn't believe me. The doctor was not only monitoring the baby closely, but they were keeping an eagle eye on me as well. "Because you know, extra stress-"

"Isn't good for either of us," I say, rolling my eyes. I adored Dr. Asha Okafor; she was the only doctor besides Helen Cho that wasn't an annoyance to me. "I know that. I just…I'm fine. I'll be fine."

Asha just purses her lips at me as she brings the wand to my stomach. I know that normally an ultrasound tech would be doing this part…but with the high-risk pregnancy Steve, I, and Asha felt better with her doing it…actually just I felt better. "Alright then, let's see if baby is just as easily stressed out as mom."

"For Steve's sake I hope not," I say, glancing up at my husband. He looks down at me also, briefly leaning down to kiss me on the forehead.

Asha moves the wand around on my stomach, lightly pressing in on certain points. "Are you two wanting to know the gender?"

"No." I answer flatly. Steve knew not to answer. We had gone round and round with this discussion. Asha looks at me, raising an eyebrow. "We just want to know if they are healthy. Gender doesn't matter to me."

"Mm-hmm," she says in response, turning her head back towards the monitor. "What about you Steve…I can tell just you…"

Steve hesitates a moment. "I—I better not…" I look up at him again to see him staring at the monitor along with Asha.

"Could you…I don't know, write it down on an envelope?" I say without even thinking.

"You don't have to-"

"We will think about it," I say, cutting Steve off. "Just write down the gender on a piece of paper and we will talk it over." Asha shakes her head as she laughs.

* * *

"We will see banana baby in like twenty weeks…or less," I argue as Steve paces in front of me.

"And I would like to give him or her a name and not refer to them as food," Steve counters.

"Are you sure?" I say, arching an eye brow at him. "Next week is carrots and I know how much you love my roasted carrots." Steve stops his pacing and looks at me deadpan. "Okay, I'll cool it with the food comparisons…"

"Why don't you want to know the gender?" Steve says. He sits down on the couch next to me, draping an arm across the back of the couch.

I let out a huff of air as I pull my knees up to my chest. The action is in vain though because my stomach has gotten larger. "I don't know," I say with a shrug. I swing my legs up and lay them over Steve's lap as I lay back against the pillows in the corner of the couch. "We know everything else about the poor kid…I would just like one thing to be a surprise."

"We know all of this for their safety…not just because we want to know," Steve says. He grabs one of my feet, working the knots out with his long fingers. It feels like heaven.

"Why do you want to know?" I ask him.

Steve lets out a sigh as he keeps rubbing my feet. "You know we didn't have that sort of technology before the ice," he says. "I guess since it's available…"

"I get it," I say, nodding my head. I let out a sigh as I move my hand and rest it on my stomach. "If you want to know…you can look at the envelope. But I don't want to know."

"I'll think about it," Steve says. "Because I see your point too…"

"Hmmm," I hum to myself as a thought occurs to me. Steve looks at me, hearing the sound. "We survived our first of many disagreements about banana baby."

Steve smiles and nods his head. "Well, I don't think we'll be disagreeing too much…we both want the same thing for them. For he or she to grow up safe, loved, and a good person. The rest is just details."

"You're right," I say, my eyes fluttering shut. I don't say anything about the emphasis Steve had put on the word 'safe'. We sit there is silence for a few moments, Steve switching which foot he was rubbing. As we sit there, feel a weird fluttering in my stomach. I immediately recognize what it is, but I still don't believe it. "Woah," I say, sitting up and clutching at my belly. My eyes go wide as the fluttering continues.

Panic washes over Steve's face. "What's wrong?" he says, sounding just as panicked as he looked. Steve was a natural leader, he kept his cool in high stress situations…but this baby was bringing out the panicky side of him. "Do I need to call-"

"No, Steve, honey," I grab his hand and place it on my belly. His panic turns to confusion as he also feels the fluttering.

After a moment, he finally realizes what it is. "Is it-"

I nod my head like a mad woman. "That's our kid…they're kicking!"

* * *

"Why do I feel like I've been called into the principle's office?" Bucky says as he enters the living space we had at T'Challa's palace. "You two have already got that stern parent vibe going on…"

"Oh please," I say, playfully rolling my eyes. "Has he always been this dramatic?" I say, looking up at Steve.

"Always," Steve says, nodding his head. We both laugh as Bucky rolls his eyes. "We just want to talk to you about something Buck…"

"Uh-oh," Bucky says, sitting down in the accent chair cattycorner to the sofa. "That doesn't sound good…"

"Like I said…dramatic…" I say. "Anyway…you know the other day Steve and I had an appointment with Dr. Okafor—"

"Is everything okay?" Bucky says, a look of panic crossing his face.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Steve says. "Baby is healthy, Rhiannon is healthy. We actually felt the first kick the other day as well…"

"Okay…so why did you guys want to see me?" Bucky asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we found out the sex of banana baby," I say. I lean forward and pick up the envelope Asha had given us with the gender of the baby inside.

"We've been debating back and forth on whether or not to look at it," Steve explains.

"I am one hundred percent against knowing…" I say.

"And I'm flexible either way," Steve says. "As we were discussing, we realized the only person who really wants to know…and that we care if they know…is you."

Bucky stares at us for a solid minute, not blinking. "You want me…to know the gender of your baby."

"Only if you want to know," I say. We had talked with Bucky's therapist, who agreed that if Bucky was comfortable with knowing, that this could be great for his recovery; us showing that we, mainly me, trusted him with something so personal and important. I extend the envelope towards him and he cautiously takes it. "You ask me just about every time you see me what I think they are. You're family, Bucky. If you want to know…we trust you to know—"

"And to keep it from us," Steve adds.

"Yeah, cause I will literally go crazy pregnant lady on you if you tell me," I also add. Bucky finally breaks a smile at that.

"Wow," Bucky shakes his head, looking down at the envelope. After a beat, he flips it over and rips it open. Steve grabs onto my hand as Bucky pulls out the letter. His eyes scan over it quickly before an even larger smile spreads across his face. Once he finishes reading it, he refolds the letter and places it back in the envelope.

"So, is Uncle Buck pleased?" I ask him as he folds the envelop in half and sticks it in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah," he says, still smiling widely. "Uncle Buck is real pleased."


	2. 26 Weeks

"I think we should call Asha…" Steve says, laying the cool rag over my eyes. I let out a groan; he was going to call her no matter what I said. "You've had a headache for three days now…"

"Go ahead and call her," I concede with another groan. I was trying to get over my aversion to calling the doctor for every little thing; it wasn't just my health I was in charge of now. About half an hour later, Dr. Okafor comes into Steve and mine's bedroom. "Please tell me you have drugs with you…"

Asha just lets out a small, quiet laugh. "I may have something in my bag to help," she says. "But I also have other stuff in there too…" I let out another groan. Asha goes through a series of tests, even using a portable ultrasound on me. "Alright, it is what I thought—"

"What is it?" Steve says. I still have the rag over my eyes, but I could see him in my mind with that panicked look on his face.

"With the baby's higher metabolism, the placenta is having to work overtime to compensate," Asha explains. "With the placenta working overtime, there is a higher volume of placental proteins in Rhiannon's bloodstream that her body isn't equipped to handle that come from your DNA. She's beginning to show the signs of a form of preeclampsia—"

"A form of it?" I say. "So it's not—"

"No, it's not standard, textbook like other women would get." Asha says.

"What does that mean then?" Steve says, sounding even more panicked. I could also hear the underlying guilt in his voice. His super-soldier DNA was causing this and I knew he was already blaming himself. "What can we do?"

"Well, the first thing to do is not to panic," Asha says, no doubt picking up on Steve's mood. "Second, we have some options. The first is one that we've discussed before, which is moving to a suite in the hospital so that we can keep a closer eye on you—"

"We'll do that," I say without even waiting to hear the second option. I knew that was the only option that would calm Steve and also made me feel better.

"Okay then," Asha says. Her tone tells me that was what she was hoping we'd choose. "Third, and this one was going to be non-negotiable no matter what you chose, is that I want you to go on modified bedrest."

"I am fine with that," I say. I was starting to get more exhausted towards the end of the day, so bedrest was fine with me.

"I'm also going to start you on a I.V. regimen," she says. "It will help to provide the nutrients that your baby needs so that your body can keep up." I reach up and drag the rag off my eyes to look at Asha. "We're going to get a jump on this…get ahead of it."

I glance over at Steve who still had a panicked look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. My heart ached for him. Sure, I was miserable, but I hated seeing him so worried. "How soon can we move over to the hospital?" I ask, looking back at Asha.

"I'll get transport set up for this afternoon." She says, her voice gentler. She stares at me deeply for a moment, as if deciding something. "I will…I know we were wary about it before, but I will see about getting Dr. Cho down here. I know you'd both feel comfortable with her here as well."

* * *

"Well this isn't so bad," Bucky says, looking around the room that would be my home for the next fourteen weeks. "Doesn't look like a hospital room at all…"

"You know, despite the I.V. machine hooked up to me and wires attached to my chest." I say, smirking slightly. "Oh and the hospital bed I'm in." The suite really didn't look like a hospital room, more like a really charming hotel room. The room was twice the size of a normal one, with an area on the other half with a couple of small couches and a television mounted on the wall.

Bucky just shakes his head, coming to sit in the chair next to my bed. "So, you wanted to talk to me about a schedule? What kind of schedule?"

"Yeah," I nod my head as I push down on the bed to sit up in it straighter. Steve was currently back at our living quarters, packing things that I may need over the next weeks. "We need to set up a schedule so that Steve isn't here every single day." Bucky gives me a confused look. "Look, I love Steve with every fiber in my body. But I cannot have him here, hover over me and scallion baby every single second of the day. For my sanity…and his for that matter…I think you should relieve him. Even if it's just for a few hours a day."

"I see your point," he responds, nodding his head. "And I'm guessing that he knows nothing about this?"

"No," I shake my head. "You know him well enough to know that it'll take both of us to convince him of this."

"That is definitely true," Bucky says. "If there is one thing that it's damn near impossible to change Steve's mind about…it's matters concerning you." I vaguely wonder what he is talking about, but don't question him further. "Alright, I'm in. I will stay with you as much as needed."

* * *

"And you two came up with this…all on your own?" Steve says. He stands at the end of my bed, arms crossed over his chest, not pleased with me and Bucky at all.

"I just want to throw this out there, but you've definitely got the whole stern parent look down," Bucky says, trying to break the growing tension. Steve just stares at him. "Yeah, okay, not the time. But yeah, Rhiannon came to me with it…but I agree with her."

"Look, honey, it's not that I don't want you around…but it won't be healthy for any of us if you are here 24/7 stressing and fretting over me and scallion baby," I say. The look on Steve's face just grows sterner. "Do not give me that look—"

"What look am I supposed to give you," Steve says, dropping his arms and placing his hands on his hips. "I come back and you two tell me that you don't—"

"Bucky, can you give my husband and me a moment?" I say, not breaking the stare with Steve. Bucky mumbles something about coming back later before quickly walking out of the room. "Now listen here and don't you dare interrupt me…" Steve curtly nods his head, telling me to go on. "It's not a matter of not wanting you around because you know damn well that I like having you around…I friggin married you. However, I am thinking about your and my sanity over the next fourteen weeks. All I am doing with this schedule is giving you breaks and making sure someone is here with me, because I know that you wouldn't want me left alone. I love you Steven Grant Rogers, but I cannot have you hovering over me for the next fourteen weeks."

Steve stares at me for a long time, not moving or saying anything. Finally, he re-crosses his arms over his chest. "Who do you have coming to stay with you when during these breaks you think I'll need?"

"Mainly Bucky," I answer. "And he is going to try and see if he could get a hold of Nat…see if she'd want to come down and stick around. Plus, Asha said she'd be more than happy to sit with me…T'Challa too."

He stares at me a long while again. I could see the gears turning in his head. He wanted to argue with me, but he wouldn't; he couldn't. My logic for the plan was too sound and he realized that. "Why didn't you come to me with this first?" I had won.

"Because," I scoot over in the bed as much as I can and pat the now empty spot next to me. Steve quickly shakes off his rigid demeanor and come to sit on the bed next to me, gingerly wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Because I knew as soon as I even mentioned it to you, that you would be against it." He quietly scoffs, shaking his head. "Oh? And what was that little show just about?"

Steve lets out a sigh. I lay my head on his shoulder, letting my body rest against him. "You're right," he says. "I can see your point."

"Of course I'm right," I say grabbing onto the hand that wasn't around my shoulders. "I'm becoming a wise old mother…I know stuff now."

He lets out a laugh before pressing his lips to the top of my head. "I don't know so much about the 'old' part," Steve says. I hear him let out another sigh as his cheeks comes to rest on the top of my head. "This baby has got me flipped upside down. From the moment you told me I've felt like I've been running around blind."

"You're not alone in that regard," I tell him, snuggling closer to him. "This is something…it was unexpected. But I think we're doing a pretty damn good job so far." Steve doesn't say anything else, we just sit in silence holding each other.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying part 3 of this wild story :) Just as a disclaimer I have never been pregnant (and certainly never with a super soldier's baby) so all the medical jargon is coming from (extensive) online research

Also I don't own any of the Marvel characters, just my own OC's


	3. 28 Weeks

"They have eyelashes this week…right?" The familiar voice pulls me from my book to the doorway where Natasha Romanov was standing, leaning against the frame. I can't help the wide smile that crosses my face as she comes into the room.

"And the size of an eggplant," I add. "Though, I think this one is a very large eggplant…"

"Barnes told me about the food thing," she says, sinking down into the chair next to my bed. "And about the whole not finding out the gender thing…"

"I am not having that argument with you," I say, holding a hand up as I place the book on the bedside table. When I look back at Natasha she's smiling fondly at me. She looked well, a little tired, but well. Her hair was blonde too; I doubted it was a wig this time too. It suited her. "I'm really glad you're here Nat."

"Glad I could get down here," she says, nodding her head. "Clint, Laura, and the kids send their best. They are excited to see pictures once baby Rogers arrives." Clint and Laura had left Wakanda shortly after arriving, resettling in a different part of the States under new names. Apparently Tony had assured them he would do what he could to keep the government off their backs for the children's sakes so long as Clint stayed in retirement.

"Where have you been hiding out at?" I ask her.

She shrugs her shoulder. "Here and there." I roll my eyes as I push the blankets off my lap. The answer had been expected, but it wasn't going to be the answer I took.

"Here, help me get up," I say, holding a hand out towards her. "It's time for my walk. You can tell me where here and there is exactly."

* * *

"I will be back in the morning," Natasha says, standing up from her spot on a nearby couch a few hours after her arrival. After our walk, we had come back to the room. She filled me in as best as she could about everyone's whereabouts and telling me what she had been up to. She directs the comment at Steve who nods his head. "Let me know if there is anything you want me to bring…"

"Smuggle me in some chocolate and you will be my new favorite person," I say as she leaves the room. She looks back at me, throwing me a wink before leaving. "Oh," I let out a sigh as Steve moves from across the room to sit in the chair next to my bed. "This is so much fun…we should have three more after this one…" Steve just looks at me deadpan. "Yeah, no, you aren't touching me with a ten-foot pole once this one comes out…"

"Now, I wouldn't go that drastic…" Steve says, smirking at me and scratching at the scruff on his jawline.

"You aren't the one with a beach ball on your frontside," I say with a chuckle. "What happened to the dad gaining sympathy weight, huh? Still lookin' like an Adonis…even the longer hair and scruff doesn't look bad on you." Since we had arrived and Steve did not have to keep up the "Captain America" appearance, he had let some facial hair grow in and let his hair become a little longer than normal. Nothing too drastic, but enough to where no one would immediately recognize him when he ventured onto the streets of Birnin Zana.

"You are beautiful," Steve says, gently grabbing my hand. I raise an eyebrow at him and look at him like he was crazy. "You are—on our wedding day…you were a vision walking towards me. But now…there is nothing more beautiful than you laying in this bed…"

"Yeah, yeah," I say, waving my other hand in the air. "I'm quote-unquote glowing as they say…" Steve gives me a grin before turning his head to look at the TV across the room. An old rerun of a sitcom from the 90's was playing, but my mind was elsewhere. "I was…thinking…actually…" Steve looks back at me again, this time with an eyebrow raised. "I was just thinking…that once little one is born…where we'll be…" Steve's nostrils flared ever so slightly as he lets out a slow breath. Wakanda was never meant to be a permanent refuge for us…before Steve found out about my pregnancy. T'Challa had been gracious enough to let us stay, allowing us to take advantage of the world-class medical care Wakanda had to offer. Bucky had also been allowed to stay; T'Challa seemed to have a soft spot for Bucky concerning his recovery. Sam and Scott had stayed for a little while, but then left for the States to hide out with their families. Once the baby was born, I didn't want to overextend our welcome. "It might be nice to find somewhere to carve out our own little home…"

Steve nods his head, carefully considering my words. "I'll talk to T'Challa and Nat…see what the chatter is about us outside of here. If it's not safe…we stay. I won't risk anything happening to you or the baby."

"Or you." My hand reaches up and comes to rest on the side of Steve's face. At the touch, he visibly relaxes ever so slightly. "Your safety is important to. Eggplant baby will need a father." His hand comes up to cover mine as the room grows quiet around us. A corner of my mouth quirks up as a chuckle escapes from me; Steve raises an eyebrow in question. "Did you ever think…all those years ago when we first met that we'd end up here?"

"Not a chance…" Steve says, shaking his head. My smile falls a little bit; that wasn't exactly the answer I was going for. Steve of course notices the fall in my mood. "You were wearing a purple dress…bright purple like a grape soda advertisement that hung near our apartment building when I was a kid. And you were so young…geez, I swore you were still a kid-"

I let out a chuckle as my voice raises an octave. "I was twenty-two…"

"Well—a younger kid then," Steve says, chuckling a little bit. "Anyway…the moment you walked up to me any doubts I had went away. After our lesson, I thought you were way out of my league…"

"Yet you still broke the laptop on purpose so that you could see me again." I tease him. When he had called me all those years ago to ask for assistance I had my suspicions but never thought on them much.

"Might not have been my brightest idea…but it worked." Steve says, his smile growing wider.

I lean my head back as I laugh at the idea. The memory of going to his apartment replays in my mind as another memory, long forgotten resurfaces. "Oh my—I never told you," I say, picking my head back up. Steve looks at me in confusion. "I never told you…do you remember at that lesson you told me that I looked familiar?"

Steve considers it a moment and then nods his head. "We agreed that we must have passed each other in the hallway or something…"

"Well…I may have fudged that story a little bit," I say, finally owning up to my little white lie. "When you broke out of that room you woke up in and ran out through the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility…well, you may or may not have actually ran into me—well, more like mowed me down—"

"Oh my gosh—"

"I was fine obviously," I continue on. Steve's head tips back as he reaches up to cover his face with his hands. "I only had a smallish kind of big bruise on my hip—"

"You're serious?" Steve looks at me with an incredulous look on his face. He wanted to be upset, but he found it too funny at the same time. "You're not kidding me right now?"

"I am not lying, honey." I say as Steve starts laughing. "The first time we unofficially met you sent me to the infirmary." By now Steve's chuckles had grown into full blown laughs. Grabbing at his chest, doubling over laughs. I wasn't sure how to react…it had been a long time since I had seen him laugh that hard, so I enjoyed seeing him this carefree—at the same time it wasn't really that funny. "Okay…um, I didn't really think it was that funny but—"

"I'm sorry—I'm sorry," Steve says, trying to sober up. "You're right, it's not that funny but…oh gosh." He reaches up to wipe away a tear that had escaped. This reaction was way more than I was expecting. "After all this time…all these years…I can't believe you're just now telling me that."

"Well…honestly I kind of forgot about it." I say. Steve nods his head, finally done laughing. "Plus you had this whole self-loathing-I-don't-fit-in-here thing going on…so I just didn't want to add anything to what already seemed like a difficult time for you."

Steve chuckles a little bit more as he reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. "I love you so much."

I smile back at Steve, who was beaming at me. It was a moment of levity, one that rarely seemed to come around. But I grab onto it, storing it away for when I knew times were going to get bad. "I love you too."


	4. 31 Weeks

"How's she doing?" Natasha says as she comes in the room. I slowly drag my eyes from Rhiannon's sleeping form to our friend standing in front of the door. I shake my head, but beckon her to come further in the room.

"Same as yesterday…will hardly wake up." In the last week Rhiannon suddenly started sleeping almost all day. Dr. Okafor was initially concerned, almost delivered the baby, but Rhiannon's vitals were holding steady. "They are keeping a close eye on her though. Have you been able to get ahold of Helen?"

Natasha shakes her head as she sits down in the chair on the other side of the bed. "They must have a blackout on her…taken her off the radar." She says, rubbing at her temple. "Ross must have figured out she had seen Rhiannon…threatened her not to make contact."

I let out a sigh as I stretch my hands overhead before resting them on top of my head. We suspected that it would be near impossible to get ahold of Helen. A small voice in my head (that sounds a lot like my wife) tells me I know the one person I could call that could get us in touch with Helen. "I'm gonna make a call." I say, pushing myself out of the chair.

Natasha's eyes follow me as I cross the room to the closet; she knew who I was getting ready to call. "Are you sure you want to poke that bear?" she says as I dig into the bottom of my bag, pulling out a never-used cell phone.

"If it'll help them…I'll fight the whole damn pack." I say, mainly to myself. I power the phone to life before pulling up the one number on it that was saved. Taking a deep breath, I press the phone to my ear; each ring seemed longer than the last.

Finally, the person on the other end picks up, but is silent for a moment. "Thought it'd be a cold day in hell before you called."

"Tony…" I greet him. If there was anyone who could get Helen Cho to Wakanda…it was Tony Stark. I hadn't spoken to him since our fight and hadn't heard from him since I sent him the apology letter and cell phone. "I'm just going to get right to it because time is kind of precious right now…I need your help."

Tony is silent for a moment before letting out a humorless chuckle. "Why in the hell would I help you?" He was trying to sound tough, but I could detect the waver in the statement.

"It's not me…it's Rhiannon."

This pause was even longer than the last. "Is she…what about—"

"She's okay…for now. But they don't really know what to do with her and the longer the pregnancy goes on they are even more unsure." I tell him. "I know you don't owe me anything Tony…but we need your help getting Helen Cho here. Ross seems to have put a—"

"Yeah, you all are pretty much _persona non grata_ right now," Tony snaps. "You know, being wanted—"

"I don't have time for this Tony. My wife and kid's lives are at stake." I shout at the phone. Across the room I hear Rhiannon let out a groan; my head instinctively turns towards her. She moves what little she can with her large belly, but stays asleep. "Look Stark," I say, turning back to the conversation and lowering my voice. "We need Helen here. You are the one person who can get her here. Put aside the stuff going on between you and me and think of Rhiannon and our kid…innocent in all of this yet still suffering the consequences." Before he can respond, I end the call and power the phone off. I knew losing my cool probably didn't help. As I put the phone back in the bag and shut the closet, I can see Natasha out of the corner of my eye shaking her head. "Want to go ahead and voice your opinion now? Get it over with—"

"No, it's not you. You are perfectly justified in how you reacted." She says as I walk back over to reclaim my seat. I raise an eyebrow at her, asking her to continue. "Tony may be an ass…but he's an ass with a heart. He'll get Helen here."

"I know." I nod my head. Casting my eyes downward, I stare at Rhiannon who was curled up on her side. She was deeply asleep, but she looked restless. I reach out and smooth some of the hair back from her forehead. "That's why I called him." Natasha starts to say something until Rhiannon stirs, her eyes slowly flutter open. "Hey…" I say softly, scooting in the chair to be slightly closer to her. "You're awake…"

"I can't stay awake…" she says sleepily. "How's the baby?"

"Still doing good," I tell her.

"I thought babies weren't supposed to be energy suckers until after they were born." She says, smiling weakly. True to her form she was still cracking jokes. I return the smile as her eye flutter shut. "Kid is going to be handful…" she says in a light singsong voice. "Just like their daddy."

"Nah," I lightly run one of my knuckles along her jawline. She had told me once she loved it when I did that, gave her butterflies in her stomach. "They are going to be just like their mom…strong and kind…the light of my life too—"

Rhiannon suddenly grabs my hand that I had on her face, with more force than I thought possible in her state. "Steve—" her eyelids attempt to open and finally lock onto mine. "We never…we never talked about this but if it is a choice between the baby or me, you—"

"No, no—" I shake my head stubbornly. Both of my hands wrap around hers, bringing her fingers to my lips to lightly feather them with kisses. "No, it's not going to come down to that. Okay? You're both going to be okay." I refused to think of the alternative, to even consider it a possibility. "We're going to get Helen down here and you and the baby are going to be fine…" I doubt she hears the end of my declaration, having fallen back to sleep. Leaning forward, I press a kiss to her forehead. "You're both going to be okay…I promise…"

* * *

A couple days had passed but nothing had changed; if anything, Rhiannon was sleeping even more. It had been at least twelve hours since she had last woken up. Bucky and Natasha had tried to get me out of the hospital a couple times, but stopped once they realized there was no way in hell I was leaving her side. It was near one in the morning when Dr. Okafor comes into the room, closely followed by a light of possibility in the form of Helen Cho. Before I can even react, a team of nurses follow them into the room. "Steve, we need to deliver the baby right now—" I stand up and move out of the way as the nurses start prepping Rhiannon for transport. She beckons me over, showing me a tablet filled with charts and graphs. "These are her latest round of tests. The baby is fine, healthy as can be. But there is too much stress being put on Rhiannon. The genes in the baby that came from you and Rhiannon's immune system are essentially at war with each other. There is no way she will last until full-term—"

"But if you deliver now…then she'll be fine…right?" I ask her hopefully. I look down at her and can immediately read the doubt on her face. There was no way she could give me a definite answer.

"We will do all that we can…" is all she can tell me. "Come, you can be in the operating room when we deliver." I nod my head as we follow behind the surgical team pushing Rhiannon down the hall.

After scrubbing and donning a surgical gown and cap, I enter the operating room. Rhiannon was already in there, laying on her back, her stomach looking like a beach ball as she would have called it. It was bare and exposed, the skin stretched almost to its limit. If I looked close enough I could see the child inside, moving around; however I take my spot by her head on the stool Helen had told me to occupy. When I sit, I immediately look to Rhiannon. She was still asleep so they had placed a non-rebreather mask on her. According to Helen, once the baby was delivered, barring any other complications, Rhiannon would be placed in a coma and an aggressive form of gene therapy would begin to try and combat whatever damage had been done during the pregnancy. Out of the corner of my eye I see Helen and Asha start the procedure. I keep my eye on Rhiannon's face though, watching for anything out of the ordinary. One of my hands rest on the top of her head, my thumb gently stroking the soft skin on her forehead. I alert the staff, whoever will listen, as her eyes flutter open. They assure me though that she won't feel a thing, having administered an epidural. "Hey," I say to her softly. Her head turns towards me, but I can't tell if she even understands what I'm saying to her. "Everything is okay…Helen is here…you're in an operating room. Rhi…we're having a baby, right now—" An errant tear falls from her eye as she blinks slowly a couple times. She tries to say something, but the mask hinders her speech. "You're both going to be okay. Okay?" She weakly nods her head once and then twice before her eyes shut again.

"Captain…" Helen calls over to me. I turn my head and look to her. She smiles as she ticks her head in a gesture to beckon me over. A second later I hear a sound I hadn't even realized I had been craving to hear. The sharp cries of a baby pierce the air, permeating every inch of the room. In that instant my heart swells; I stand and walk over to stand next to her. Looking down, I see my child in her hands. I barely register a pair of scissors being passed to me, but I comply and cut the cord. After that, the child is passed into my hands. It was something that was heavily discussed between Rhiannon, Dr. Okafor, and myself; all three of us agreed that, barring any major complication, once the baby was born they would immediately be given to Rhiannon for bonding. Despite her not being awake, I wanted to honor that wish so with the help of Dr. Okafor, we place the baby on Rhiannon's chest. The little one immediately stops crying once they are on their mother's chest, curling and nestling into her. I let out a sigh of relief when I see Rhiannon finally stir, her head coming up to look down at the new weight on her chest. One of her hands come up and lightly touch the baby's back. After only a brief moment though, she falls back asleep. Asha gives me a tight smile before picking the baby up, who starts crying again, and takes them for the routine testing after birth. As I follow them, I hear Helen behind me explain how after they finish closing Rhiannon up they would move ahead with the afore mentioned plan. I nod my head, my eyes never leaving my child.

* * *

As the door to the room opens I don't even look up. It was impossible for me to tear my eyes away from the sleeping babe in my arms. "Helen called us…" Natasha's soft voice says. In my peripheral I could see her and Bucky creeping across the hospital room. They both come to a stop beside me, gazing down at the little one over my shoulder. "So precious…"

"Yep…" The tone of Bucky's voice makes me look up at him. He was smirking, staring down in wonder at the baby. "All the looks definitely come from Rhiannon…lucky kid…" I shake my head as the two of them move and sit in chairs adjacent from mine. The glider I was in comes to a stop, but the baby keeps on sleeping. "How is she doing…Rhiannon?"

My head turns to look over at her lying in the hospital bed again. As soon as she had been closed up, Helen had induced the coma and started the gene therapy. She was optimistic, noting that Rhiannon was responding well already; she had even off-handedly remarked that the therapy may not take as long as she had originally anticipated. I relay this information to Bucky and Natasha, both of them nodding their heads, some of the worry from their faces disappearing. "So, have you thought of a name yet?" Natasha asks, shifting the conversation back to the bundle in my arms. "I already have one child named after me…so feel no obligation…"

Bucky and I both laugh, I quietly so not to wake the baby. "We had names picked out for both possible outcomes, whether boy or girl." I say, nodding my head. I glance up at the clock and note the time. Asha had instructed me not to hold the baby around the clock, despite wanting to. So, reluctantly I place him in the bassinet next to Rhiannon's bed. We had debated on names for weeks on end, but eventually settled on one that suited both of us. "James Joseph Rogers." When I turn back around, Natasha is smiling while Bucky is staring at me in shock with wide eyes. "Joseph, was my father's name, as you know. But James…that is actually three-fold—" Now Bucky was staring at me with confusion. "James, obviously because of you Bucky, but also James was Rhiannon's birthfather's name as well as her adopted father's middle name."

"I like it." Natasha finally says after a few moments of silence. "The nicknames are boundless."

I shake my head in amusement before turning to look at Bucky. Bucky was staring towards James' bassinet, his face blank. "Um," he reaches up and wipes at his mouth with his hand. He was in shock. "I don't…um—thanks…thank you."

I wave a hand at him, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. It was a big deal to me, I was glad that he was happy about it. This next admission was going to blow his socks off though. "It was actually Rhiannon's idea." Bucky's head now snaps towards me.

Bucky nods his head, leaning back in the chair and smiles. "I'll be sure to thank her when she wakes then…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Hello! YAY! WE HAVE A BABY!

Anywho...so this story will be taking a short sabbatical due to the fact that I have zero clue what happens next :) But, fret not, the story will continue!


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